by Jim Byers
Last updated: 6:23 PM ET, Thu August 26, 2021
Canada will be bumped up to the UK "green list" of approved countries on Monday, Aug. 30. That means that Canadian visitors will no longer have to automatically quarantine upon arrival, which is great news for lovers of all things British, or for people with family in the UK.
The UK Department for Transport announced Thursday that Canada, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and the Azores will move from amber to green in the latest changes to the U.K.'s COVID-19 travel rules as of 4 a.m. local time on Monday, which is 11 p.m. Eastern Time in Canada on Sunday.
"Travellers from these destinations will not have to quarantine regardless of whether they are fully vaccinated, but will still need to take pre-departure and daytwo tests and complete a passenger locator form," the transport department announced on its website.
Travellers do not need to quarantine unless one of their test results comes back positive, according to CTV News.
The rules apply to England, as well as Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
"We are thrilled by the news that Canada will be added to the UK Government's green list as of Monday, August 30th," said Visit Britain Senior Vice President, The Americas Paul Gauger. "Canada is a robust and growing inbound market for Britain with strong cultural ties. We know Canadians have been eager to visit again, and with Britain's tourism and hospitality businesses reopened, we are ready to welcome them back to our iconic cities, countryside, and worldclass cultural attractions."
"The latest changes are welcome for Scots with loved ones in Canada but once again show that international travel remains challenging," said Michael Matheson, Scotland's Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport.
Transport Department officials said the change was made after looking at Canada's COVID-19 situation, including case numbers and vaccination rates.
"With Canada expected to open its borders to fully vaccinated UK travellers in early September, today's addition of Canada to the UK's green list is a strong step forward for the safe return of bilateral transatlantic travel and economic activity," said Andrew Crawley, American Express Global Business Travel's Chief Commercial Officer. "The transatlantic travel corridor is one of the busiest trade routes in the world, with trade between Canada and the UK alone worth more than £22 billion ($38 billion CAD) a year."
"Thailand and Montenegro will be added to the red list from 4 a.m. on Monday August 30 2021, reflecting the increased case rates in these countries and the higher risk that travel from these countries poses to UK public health," the department stated. "The high rates combined with lower levels of published genomic surveillance in Thailand and Montenegro than other countries mean that an outbreak of a new variant or existing variants of concern (VOC) or variants under investigation (VUI) cannot be easily identified before it is imported and seeded across the UK.
"Passengers arriving in the UK from these red list destinations will need to isolate for 10 days in a managed quarantine facility and follow the necessary testing requirements."
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